


Secret Paradise

by softatem



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Afterlife, Forever, Happy Ending, M/M, One Shot, let them be happy, sweet reunion, they deserve this okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2020-01-25 16:48:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18578548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softatem/pseuds/softatem
Summary: The sun never sets; it rises forever. Just like their love for each other.





	Secret Paradise

There was something eerie about the afterlife.

Was this what was known to the western world as 'purgatory'? Everything was, for the most part, the exact same as before. He was still on earth, but he was no longer tethered to his body. He glanced around the room in a trance, noticing every little detail of every object his eyes came into contact with. He saw himself, lying motionless in the bed that held him captive for the better part of the last six months. He knew he should have felt afraid to see himself like this, but he wasn't. All he could feel in that moment was acceptance... and an overwhelming sense of relief.

He was free. Free at last.

Before he could register anything else, the scene before him changed completely. He was no longer within the confines of his old bedroom and was instead standing in the middle of what appeared to be a dark room—with four, dark walls that seemed to close in on him more and more with each passing second. But time wasn't supposed to exist in the afterlife, right?

So why could he still sense that time was passing?

"Child of Light," a gentle, yet booming voice spoke to him from nowhere in particular, yet from every direction in existence. How was this possible?

"Nani...?" He couldn't help but speak in a small voice. Was God talking to him? Why was he in such a cold, scary place?

"Don't be afraid," the voice continued to speak to him. "We have looked at the contents of your mind and soul, and we are greatly pleased by your contributions to the people on Earth during your time there."

"A great reward awaits you for the rest of eternity," a different voice spoke to him now, but the deep, echoing aspect remained. "Mutou Yuugi. You lived a long, prosperous life, and gave of yourself so freely to all who needed your help. You are the embodiment of goodness."

"Close your eyes, now," yet a third voice spoke to him. Could these voices be...?

Not wanting to anger the clearly authoritative presences, he did as he was told and allowed his eyes to slip shut. It was at that exact moment when he _felt_ the constraints of time disappear into the void. How glorious!

Before he knew it, he felt the atmosphere around him shift—and he suddenly felt a warmth envelope him from every direction, illuminating him all over, and he felt... a soft breeze? Was he in heaven?

"Keep your eyes closed and wait," he heard one last command before he felt the three presences from before vanish from his proximity. He could sense their departure without having to see for himself. These newfound senses were so wondrous. He could hardly wait to see where he was and to find out what else he could do outside of a physical body!

The soft singing of birds filled his head as he allowed himself to listen to his new surroundings. He had to be standing in the middle of some sort of heavenly field. There was no doubt about it! There were birds! And he heard the soft babbling of a small body of water nearby... as well as the rustling of leaves on a nearby tree. His physical body may have been gone, but his senses were still very much alive and well. If only he could share this new life with—!

"Yuugi...?"

That voice.

It couldn't be.

Despite what had been commanded of him, Yuugi couldn't keep his eyes from snapping open anymore than he could help the air that escaped his new lungs as he took in the beautiful, unmistakable visage of his one and only Pharaoh—standing underneath a patch of very tall sunflowers, shrouding him in gentle shadows. It was him. His best friend. His other self. His soulmate...

"Yuugi!" the other screamed at the top of his lungs as he suddenly broke out into a sprint in his direction. Tears fell from his eyes freely as he ran towards him.

"Atem!"

His own legs only carried him just a few steps forward before they collided into each other, the impact of their union causing them both to topple over into the soft grass beneath them.

Atem looked genuinely surprised. Did he not expect to see Yuugi? Was their reunion kept a secret from him, too? Had the ancient gods united them on purpose? Was this Yuugi's eternal reward?

He very quickly realized that the answers to these questions mattered very little to him. All that mattered was that they were together again.

"I... I don't believe..." Atem's voice was soft and shaky as he held his precious, former vessel in his arms; his hikari, his other half, his voice of kindness and reason...

"I thought I'd never see you again," Yuugi couldn't help the small, quiet sob that escaped him as his grip on Atem's arms tightened tenfold. He could feel him. _He was real and solid and in his arms._ He vowed to himself in that moment that he'd never let go of him again.

"Aibou," his voice seemed to return to him as he tucked Yuugi's head against his chest and pressed his cheek against the top of his head, flattening his hair in the process. It was still as wild as ever, and this fact made Atem's smile widen. Yuugi felt his heart swell with so much love and devotion, and it was more intense than he could remember ever having felt. Even after all the years they'd spent apart following Atem's return to the afterlife all the way up until Yuugi's last day on Earth, he still felt one with him, as if no time had passed at all.

"You've returned to me. I will never take this gift for granted," he whispered before he pulled away just enough to stare into Yuugi's eyes, the corners of them still dampened by fresh tears of joy that threatened to spill any second. His eyes were still as sharp and as beautiful as he remembered them being before.

"Mou hitori no boku," Yuugi couldn't help uttering the old title that he reserved for Atem and nobody else. "My Pharaoh..."

"Yours," the elated Egyptian whispered in response as he pressed his cheek against Yuugi's, nuzzling gently against him. His aibou was so real and so warm! This was the best day he'd ever had in the afterlife by far. He wanted to do so much with him so suddenly.

"Yuugi, I want to show you my palace and introduce you to my friends and family. Will you come with me?"

Yuugi's bright eyes glittered in the eternal sunlight as he smiled and gave a nod, slipping his hand into Atem's waiting one.

"I will always go wherever you go, now and forever."

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is the first piece I've written for this fandom, and it's a small drabble I wrote in the span of maybe thirty minutes or so—so my apologies if the pacing is off or if it feels weird.
> 
> I have a huge soft spot for these two. They've been my comfort pairing for the last four months, and I've been dying to write something to honor them. I'm a huge sucker for ultimate happy endings, and this is the best happy ending I can think of for them. Atem might not be able to stay with Yuugi in canon, but I can imagine their reunion after Yuugi passes once he's lived a thorough, wholesome life.
> 
> Also—apologies if I got anything... wrong? I'm currently rewatching Duel Monsters (sub) after not having seen an episode in over a decade, so I'm essentially relearning what actually happens in the show—and I haven't watched DSoD yet. But I'm getting there!
> 
> With that said, please feel free to leave some feedback if you liked what I wrote here. 💕 If enough people like this, I might turn it into a multi-chapter fic involving their ever-blossoming relationship in the afterlife! How exciting. ✨
> 
> Also, the title and summary of this fic were last-minute inspired by the third original outro for Duel Monsters, _Paradise_ by CAVE. Quite fitting, if you ask me!
> 
> Ciao for now〜


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